President Barack Obama Says “It Gets Better”; The Country Waits

This morning, just past midnight, President Barack Obama added his voice to Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project to support GLBT youth who may be experiencing bullying or who may be feeling alone. Now I’m waiting for the president to *make it better*. Perhaps he might want to start with a stop-loss (re: DADT) or some kind of action that will move us toward same-sex marriage rights in all 50 states. Just a thought.

A few other things:

- I like that Obama tells GLBT kids/teenagers that their differences will one day be a source of “pride”
- I also like that he stressed to the kids that they didn’t do anything wrong
- I’m not sure he fully gets that not all kids will have parents or teachers, specifically, who support them and who they can trust with their feelings about being GLBT
- I hope that kids who watch this feel supported by the president of their country and I hope that schools play this video and talk about it openly.
- I’m glad that kids in the US finally have a president who doesn’t speak about their sexual orientation as a sin, but who rather celebrates their differences

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Dr. Debby Herbenick is a sex researcher at Indiana University, sexual health educator at The Kinsey Institute, columnist, and author of five books about sex and love. Learn more about her work at www.sexualhealth.indiana.edu.

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I agree, I would love for this video to be shown in schools… but what about kids that are homeschooled? Or perhaps are attending private and/or religious schools where this video will not be shown by the administration or teachers? I am pleased that the It Gets Better movement is spreading on a grassroots level, but that doesn’t guarantee it’ll reach the people who are the most isolated, hence may need to hear the message the most.

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October 11th was National Coming Out Day, which was established after the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This celebration of identity is intended to promote equality, safety, and tolerance for all, regardless of sexual identity.

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